Lifestyle bloggers Beau and Matt of Probably This pack their Mardi Gras with costumes, drinks, LGBTQ hotspots and sheer bliss. Find out how, below.
Q. Tell us a little about yourselves.
We’re Beau and Matt, the New Orleans based couple behind the lifestyle blog Probably This. We’re both born and raised in New Orleans and have lived all over town (Uptown, Midcity, Marigny, Bywater). We currently live in Covington. We both went to Loyola University, worked in the service industry in New Orleans for several years and have run our blog probablythis.com full time since 2016!
Q. When people check out your IG feed or blog, what side of Nola will they see?
To be honest, our Instagram is mostly photos of us in our house…whoops. BUT, when we do get out and about, we love taking photos in front of the colorful homes around the French Quarter, Marigny and Bywater. Sometimes we get comments that are literally like, “Hey, that’s my house!!”. Thanks for letting us use your homes, strangers! They’re gorgeous!
Q. What’s your favorite thing about Mardi Gras? What does it mean to you?
Getting drunk. Just kidding. Community? That’s the real fun — seeing your neighbors and friends and even strangers come together in awesome costumes to celebrate in our own unique little space in this strange corner of the country.
Q. Uh oh! Your friends just told you they’re coming for Mardi Gras and know nothing about the city. Quick, where do you send them to Mardi Gras up?
Oh crap. Uh, first of all, friend, PLAN BETTER! Second, come to our house, and we’ll make you some jambalaya. Third, go to Fifi Mahony’s and get a wig. Then go to Funky Monkey for full outfits and hats and Jefferson Variety in the Riverbend for costuming materials like gems and extra fabrics. Perhaps you should also follow these creative New Orleans based drag artists for outfit and makeup inspo: @frankycanga, @apostrophe_period and @tarah_cards (they always make it WERK for every holiday!!).
Q. What are a few of your Mardi Gras “must dos”?
Eat king cake from one of the most famous Vietnamese bakeries, Dong Phuong. Wow, yes, so good.
On Lundi Gras, the day before Mardi Gras, go check out the Red Beans Parade. It’s a walking krewe of hundreds of folks who have made outfits that involve dried red beans. Many of our friends march in it, and it’s always so so so cool.
Q. What’s your favorite parade and why?
Get caught up in the St. Anne walking parade on Mardi Gras Day.
God, it is SO glorious and full of homemade costumes that folks have been working on for months. You’ll start in the Bywater at 8 a.m. and end in the French Quarter in the afternoon, and then you choose your next adventure. Everyone is in a state of bliss and the energy in the air is wild!
Q. Walk us through your Fat Tuesday itinerary.
We show up to Bud Rip’s bar at 9 a.m. Mardi Gras Day and walk with the St. Anne Parade. We usually meet up with a large group of friends and stop in at Mimi’s in the Marigny on the way to the French Quarter. While at Mimi’s, we always find ourselves upstairs, and if you look out the window you’ll see a massive sea of people in amazing outfits stretching for literally as far as you can see. It’s magic.
Then we slowly make it to the French Quarter around 1 p.m. We stop in at some of our favorite LGBTQ bars like Good Friends and Lafitte’s in Exile, and then kinda just go with the flow. We usually end up back home by 8 p.m., full of fried chicken or red beans and ready for bed!
You know who else knows how to party on Mardi Gras? Des from Badass Balloon Co. Check out her Carnival tips.
And be sure to pick up our new Mardi Gras 2019 Field Guide to add even more flare to your festivities.
